The daily use of automobiles, vans, trucks, construction equipment, factory equipment and the like results in the accumulation of foreign materials including dirt, debris and chemical residues. The foreign material collects on the tires, wheel wells, bodies and the undercarriages of the vehicles. The accumulation of these foreign materials detract from the appearance of the vehicles. In addition, as in the case of road tar and salt used during the winter to melt ice, it may effect the integrity of the vehicle's components, e.g. wheel imbalance, rust and corrosion. The operation of large pieces of factory equipment may also be impeded by dirt and excess material which accumulates under normal conditions.
Businesses employing a large number of commercial vehicles strive to keep these vehicles clean since it is believed that the appearance of the vehicles projects the image of the business. In addition, the corrosion caused by chemical reactions between the vehicle's metal parts and some foreign materials will increase maintenance costs and may detract from the safety of the vehicle. Accordingly, businesses wash the vehicles on a regular basis.
Because of recent legislation which limits run-off from private property, businesses are finding it impractical to wash the vehicles as an in-house function. This is especially true when the business depends on a large fleet of vehicles. If the regulations are violated, the non-complying company and it's officers may be subject to punitive actions.
Permanent structures, have been constructed to house washing apparatus and to contain the contaminants washed off from commercial vehicles. There are several drawbacks with these permanent structures. First, the costs may be prohibitive. This is especially true for small businesses. Second, the structure is not easily adaptable for different sized vehicles. For example, a permanent structure may not be able to accommodate very wide or very long vehicles. Finally, a large corporation may store their vehicles at multiple locations. It is not feasible to bring a large number of vehicles to one central location for cleaning. If the vehicles are in transit to a remote location for cleaning, they cannot be used for their intended purposes.
Temporary containment systems have been developed for containing liquid spills. However, these systems are usually designed to collect run-off from under only a portion of a vehicle and are not designed to contain large quantities of liquid.